Mast assembly for a side loading truck



Nov. 23, 1965 J. LOEF MAST ASSEMBLY FOR A SIDE LOADING TRUCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 31, 1964 Nov. 23, 1965 J. LOEF MAST ASSEMBLY FOR A SIDE LOADING TRUCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 31, 1964 United States Patent 3,219,210 MAST ASSEMBLY FOR A SIDE LOADING TRUCK Jakob Loef, Moosburg, Upper Bavaria, Germany, assignor to Steinbeck G.m.b.H., Moosbnrg, Upper Bavaria, Germany Filed Jan. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 341,706 Claims priority, application Germany, Sept. 6, 1963, St 16,599 9 Claims. (Cl. 214-75) This invention relates to improvements in lifting vehicles of the side loading type.

I have shown in my prior application, Serial No. 280,529 filed May 15, 1963, a side loading truck having an elevator mechanism arranged in a well of the chassis between front and rear load bearing surfaces and having a load carrier displaceably supported on the elevator mechanism. The elevator mechanism is eccentrically supported on a rotary unit in the well which is adapted for rotation about a vertical axis. By virtue of the vertical displacement of the load carrier and the eccentric location of the mechanism on the rotatable unit, it is possible to provide means extendibly supporting the load carrier from the elevator mechanism to permit the load carrier to be extended laterally outwards from the well as well as over the load bearing elements depending on the position of the elevator mechanism by the rotatable unit.

The eccentric arrangement of the elevator mechanism serves the purpose of making possible an approximately central arrangement of the load carrier with respect to the rotary unit in the retracted position of the load carrier. Thus, the rotary unit can be rotated between the load bearing surfaces without encountering any obstruction.

It is an object of the present invention to improve the arrangement shown in my prior application and in this respect there is provided an elevator mechanism having at least two vertical members which are located on opposite sides of a plane passing through the axis of rotation. The vertical members are each eccentrically located with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotatable unit and the load carrier is supported between the vertical members.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the vertical members are secured to the rotatable unit and thereby the load carrier undergoes rotation as the rotatable unit is rotated.

According to a further embodiment, the vertical members of the elevator mechanism are secured to the chassis and a lifting carriage which is displaceably supported in the vertical members in turn supports the rotatable unit to which the load carrier is connected by means of a vertical carrier member.

According to still a further embodiment of the invention the elevator mechanism includes first and second telescoping members, one of which is secured to the rotatable unit, while the other displaceably supports the lifting carriage.

Embodiments of a lifting vehicle according to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a lifting vehicle;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the lifting vehicle according to FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 shows a sectional view of the lifting vehicle taken along the line IIIIII of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 4 is an elevation of a second embodiment of a lifting vehicle;

FIGURE 5 is a top view of the lifting vehicle according to FIG. 4;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VIVI of FIG. 4; and

FIGURE 7 is a third embodiment of a lifting vehicle, showing a cross-section corresponding to that of FIG. 3.

3,219,210 Patented Nov. 23, 1965 ice A lifting vehicle 1 is provided with wheels 3 and 4, as well as with a steering shaft 5. The vehicle includes a chassis 2 which is provided with a well in which is supported a rotary unit 6 which can be rotated about a vertical axis corresponding to sectional line IIIIII. Opposite each other on the rotary unit are two longitudinal beams 28 and 29 of an elevator mechanism. The two longitudinal beams are formed as U-shaped rails and guidably support a lifting carriage 30 for vertical movement. The lifting carriage supports forks 8 by means of arms 9 which are extensible and retractable with respect to carriage 30 and which can extend the fork 8 or load carrier to the dotted position of FIG. 2, while the rotary unit 6 permits the retracted fork 8 to rotate within the well between two load bearing elements 31 and 32. Th load carrier 8 is located between the two vertical beams 28 and 29, which are each arranged eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotary unit.

It will be understood that the construction of the arms 9 and the support thereof from the carriage 30 is well known to one skilled in the art and is of the type to permit the fork 8 to be extended and retracted. The carriage 30 is supported in the beams 28 and 29 for displacement, as, for example, by means of rollers. A hydraulic unit (not shown) acts on carriage 30, to raise and lower the same. In this respect it is to be noted that the extension and retraction of the fork 3 may also be achieved by a hydraulic device.

In operation the arms are retracted to permit the rotary unit to undergo rotation so that the forks 8 will not strike an obstruction. When the forks are in position to engage a load supported on the bearing surfaces 31, 32 the fork is extended and raised to engage the load. Thereafter the fork is retracted and rotated through whereafter the fork maybe extended to deposit the load laterally of the vehicle. This operation is an unloading of the lifting vehicle. Alternately, it may be desired to load the lifting vehicle, in which case the above operation is merely carried out in reverse. It will be well understood that it is also possible to transfer the load from one surface to the other, as well as to invert the position of superimposed plates which make up the load. In this respect attention is directed to the fact that there may be two load bearing surfaces, as indicated by the dotted outlines for the loads, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4.

According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the longitudinal beams 28 and 29 are replaced by a towerlike frame 33 and a telescoping inner frame 34. The load carrier 8 is supported from lifting carriage 30, as in the previous embodiment, by arms 9 and is located between the four vertical main columns of the two towers 33 and 34.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the columns 33 of the lifting vehicle are rigidly supported by the frame 1. The lifting carriage 30 supports the rotary unit 6 and is vertically displacea'ble on the columns 33. Arranged on the rotary unit 6 is a vertical carrier member 35, from which is supported the load carrier 8 by means of arms 9.

Within the confines of columns 33, the rotary unit 6, together with the carrier 35, the arms 9, and the load carrier 8, are rotatable so that desired movement of the forks with respect to the load bearing elements 31 and 32 is possible, whereby the forks can remove a load from a support and rotate within th well in retracted position and deposit the load sideways of the vehicle or on the other had support. Alternately, the load carrier can receive a load while in an extended position and deposit the same on one of the supports by first being retracted then turning through 90 towards the support on which the load is to be deposited and then being extended for 3 depositing the load. It will be understood that the load carrier 8 undergoes appropriate raising and lowering in order to engage the load and deposit the same and to move the load between different elevations.

It will be seen that applicant has shown above a lifting vehicle which comprises a chassis having a laterally open well and including on opposite sides of the well load-bearing elements. A lifting carriage is supported on an elevator mechanism for vertical displacement. The vehicle further comprises load carrier means and means for rotating the load carrier means about a vertical axis of rotation. The elevator mechanism includes at least two beams, each eccentrically supported with respect to the axis of rotation, which beams displaceably support the lifting carriage. The. load carrier means is connected to the lifting carriage by extendable means to permit lateral displacement of the load carrier means, both outwards from the Well and over the load bearing elements, depending on the positioning of the load carrier means by the means for rotating the same.

Numerous modifications and variations of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent to one skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A lifting vehicle comprising a chassis provided with a laterally open well and including on opposite sides of the well fixed load bearing elements, a lifting carriage, an elevator mechanism supported on the chassis, means supporting the lifting carriage from the elevator mechanism for vertical displacement, load carrier means, means extendibly supporting the load carrier means from the lifting carriage, and means for rotating said load carrier means about a substantially vertical axis, said load carrier means being extendibly supported from the lifting carriage eccentrically with respect to said vertical axis of rotation for lateral displacement both outwards from said well and over said load bearing elements depending on the positioning of the load carrier means by the means for rotating the same, said elevator mechanism including at least two vertical members which are symmetrically located on opposite sides of a plane passing through the axis of rotation, the carriage and the load carrier means being supported between the two members.

2. A lifting vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two vertical members are individual beams in which said lifting carriage is vertically displaceable.

3. A lifting vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for rotating the load carrier means includes a rotatable unit supported in said well, the beams being each secured to said rotatable unit at eccentric locations with respect to said axis of rotation.

4. A lifting vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein said beams have a U-shaped cross-section.

5. A lifting vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elevator mechanism includes first and second telescoping members each being constituted of a framework of elements.

6. A lifting vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein said means for rotating the load carrier means includes a rotatable unit supported in said well, one of the telescoping members being secured to said unit for rotation therewith, the other supporting the lifting carriage and being inclusive of the aforementioned individual beams.

7. A lifting vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two vertical members are rigidly secured to the chassis and said means for rotating the load carrier means includes a rotatable unit rotatably supported from the lifting carriage and including a vertical carrier member secured to the rotatable unit, the load carrier means being extendibly supported from the vertical carrier member.

8. A lifting vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein said lifting carriage is of U-shape and has free ends facing the beams and a central portion supporting the means extendibly supporting the load carrier means.

9. A lifting vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lifting carriage partially surrounds the means extendibly supporting the load carrier means from the lifting carriage.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,591,544 4/ 1952 Hegarty 2l4674 2,709,017 5/1955 Ulinski 214-730 2,989,202 6/1961 De Canniere et al. 214-670 3,092,268 6/1963 Powers 214.'-75

I FOREIGN PATENTS |1,Z42,57l 8/ 1960 France.

174,162 1/1961 Sweden.

HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

MORRIS TEMIN, Examiner. 

1. A LIFTING VEHICLE COMPRISING A CHASSIS PROVIDED WITH A LATERALLY OPEN WELL AND INCLUDING ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WELL FIXED LOAD BEARING ELEMENTS, A LIFTING CARRIAGE, AN ELEVATOR MECHANISM SUPPORTED ON THE CHASSIS, MEANS SUPPORTING THE LIFTING CARRIAGE FROM THE ELEVATOR MECHANISM FOR VERTICAL DISPLACEMENT, LOAD CARRIER MEANS, MEANS EXTENDIBLY SUPPORTING THE LOAD CARRIER MEANS FROM THE LIFTING CARRIAGE, AND MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID LOAD CARRIER MEANS ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AXIS, SAID LOAD CARRIER MEANS BEING EXTENDIBLY SUPPORTED FROM THE LIFTING CARRIAGE ECCENTRICALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID VERTICAL AXIS OF ROTATION FOR LATERAL DISPLACEMENT BOTH OUTWARDS FROM SAID WELL AND OVER SAID LOAD BEARING ELEMENTS DEPENDING ON THE POSITIONING OF THE LOAD CARRIER MEANS BY THE MEANS FOR ROTATING THE SAME, SAID ELEVATOR MECHANISM INCLUDING AT LEAST TWO VERTICAL MEMBERS WHICH ARE SUMMETRICALLY LOCATED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A PLANE PASING THROUGH THE AXIS OF ROTATION, THE CARRIAGE AND THE LOAD CARRIER MEANS BEING SUPPORTED BETWEEN THE TWO MEMBERS. 